What is CipherStash?
Data Level Access Control. Searchable field-level encryption, identity-bound keys, and cryptographic audit trails for Postgres.
CipherStash is Data Level Access Control for Postgres. Encrypt fields at the application layer, query ciphertext without decryption, bind keys to identities, and audit every access event cryptographically.
A breach yields ciphertext, nothing useful.
The problem
For thirty years, the database has been readable to anyone who reached it. Encrypting a column meant losing the query. Traditional security assumes a human is watching. AI agents ship code at machine speed. The credentials they run on are application credentials. Prompt injection is a one-step exfiltration attack.
The stack
CipherStash solves this with four primitives:
/ENCRYPTION
Searchable field-level encryption. Range queries, exact match, and free-text fuzzy search over ciphertext with sub-millisecond overhead. Works with any managed Postgres provider. Read more.
/KEY-MANAGEMENT
ZeroKMS. 100x faster than AWS KMS. Unique key per value, derived on demand, never stored. Identity and policy baked into every key. Read more.
/SECRETS (coming soon)
Secrets without the .env. Every secret encrypted at the field level. Cryptographically isolated environments. Identity-bound access. Join the waitlist.
/PROXY
Transparent searchable encryption for existing PostgreSQL databases. Zero application code changes. Read more.
How it works
Zero-knowledge architecture. The platform never sees data keys.
- Every sensitive value is encrypted with a unique key.
- Keys are derived on demand via ZeroKMS and never stored.
- Identity and policy are baked into the key itself.
- Decryption is enforced at the moment of access, wherever the data ends up.
- Every decryption event is recorded: who, what, when, from where.
Attackers, over-permissioned agents, and curious insiders all see the same thing: ciphertext with no key.
Threat model
Database breach. Encrypted data remains ciphertext. Zero-knowledge architecture means compromised credentials yield nothing useful.
Insider threats. Identity-bound keys enforce per-value access control. Full audit trail for every decryption.
Supply chain attacks. Instant access revocation. No waiting on vendors.
AI agent exfiltration. Prompt injection reaches the database but decrypts nothing. The agent's credentials are not the user's keys.
Performance
- < 1ms query overhead
- 100x faster than AWS KMS
- 100,000x faster than fully homomorphic encryption
- Quantum safe
Compliance
HIPAA, SOC 2, GDPR. Continuous assurance, not point-in-time snapshots. Cryptographic audit trails provide proof, not just logs.
Integration paths
- Encryption SDK for TypeScript applications with fine-grained control.
- CipherStash Proxy for existing PostgreSQL apps with zero code changes.
API Reference
Browse the CipherStash API reference, including the @cipherstash/stack SDK with Encryption, plus types, operators, and functions.
Security architecture
Understand the CipherStash security architecture, covering cryptographic primitives, the ZeroKMS key hierarchy, zero-knowledge trust model, and data flow.